"......" Lu Lingchuan glanced at her, the murderous crimson still lingering in his eyes, but he still followed Shen Nian's words and parked the car in the parking lot up ahead.
The two got out of the car, with the ocean nearby. This was one of the major attractions of Hai City for tourists.
Many visitors who came here for sightseeing would rent a two-person bicycle and pedal along the seaside path, admiring the scenery along the way, which was a way to cultivate their temperaments.
It was late now, however, and the beach was deserted, with even the sea breeze feeling bone-chilling.
The two walked side by side along the beach, one tall and one short. The sky had already darkened, and street lamps were spaced out along the path ahead, their light illuminating the way for them.
Shen Nian had drunk some alcohol and was a little tipsy. She walked with her head down, watching her own feet.
The wind blew against her, feeling a bit chilly.
Suddenly, a warmth enveloped her securely. She looked up, staring in confusion at the suit jacket draped over her shoulders.
It still carried its wearer's body heat, having just been removed.
She looked up at him.
The owner of the suit had unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his shirt sleeves, and the once impeccably knotted tie was now loosened, with the top two buttons also undone.
The sea breeze was cold at night, and Shen Nian only felt a little warmth while wearing Lu Lingchuan's jacket, but he was just in a shirt, and had even undone so many buttons.
She couldn't help but say, "The wind is too cold."
He would freeze like this.
Lu Lingchuan glanced at her, leaving her with a cool look. "I'm dissipating heat."
He said those three words so matter-of-factly that Shen Nian found it a little funny.
She held back the urge to laugh out loud.
Well, his ferocity and anger from earlier were quite intense, so he probably did need to "dissipate heat."
The two didn't say anything else, just walking side by side, on and on...
Shen Nian looked ahead and saw no end in sight, suddenly feeling like she wasn't walking along a beach, but along the path of life itself.
She and Lu Lingchuan walked side by side - was this the end, the end of life's journey for them?
Shen Nian suddenly wanted to see the end.
Even if they didn't reach old age hand in hand, she had at least walked this stretch of life's path side by side with Lu Lingchuan.
It's unknown how long they walked, but there was still no end in sight.
The wind had blown long enough to sober Shen Nian up, and Lu Lingchuan had also calmed down.
Seeing that he was in a better state, Shen Nian finally spoke up, "Tomorrow I'll personally apologize to Director Zou, so hopefully we can still reconcile."
When Shen Nian said this, she herself didn't have much confidence - the way Lu Lingchuan had wanted to kill Zou Zhijie earlier, the two sides would probably not only fail to reconcile, but would become sworn enemies instead.
Upon hearing this, Lu Lingchuan turned his head and looked at her. "Why do you need to apologize? Did you do something wrong?"
Shen Nian pursed her lips. "Sometimes an apology isn't necessarily for being wrong, but for the sake of interests, where we have no choice but to compromise."
She would only apologize for the sake of Director Zou's connections, for Lu Lingrui's sake.
"......"
Lu Lingchuan stopped in his tracks. Shen Nian had walked two steps ahead before realizing he wasn't following her. She turned around to see Lu Lingchuan standing there, looking at her.
Shen Nian was puzzled for a second. Just as she was about to speak, Lu Lingchuan had already strided up, walking past her with a cold voice.
"You can represent yourself in apologizing, but not me. No way."
Someone who dared to lay a hand on his woman still wanted him to apologize? No way.
"......" Shen Nian was stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality.
She knew how determined Lu Lingchuan was about avenging Lu Lingrui, that he would go to any lengths for that purpose. Now, despite knowing Director Zou could be of great help, he still refused to lower his head.
Was it for her sake?
Even though Shen Nian thought it was unlikely, the mere thought of it when it formed in her mind made her heart feel sweet.
Only she would try to find sugar amid a pile of ice shards.
Even if it was just a delusion formed in her mind, it put Shen Nian in a great mood.
She caught up to the man, her steps now much lighter.
Thinking of something, Shen Nian asked Lu Lingchuan, "Did something happen in the capital?"
She hadn't forgotten how Lu Lingchuan had barged into the private room radiating murderous rage.
If it was just Zou Zhijie, it wouldn't have been enough to make him so angry - he must have already been suppressing his fury over some other matter earlier, with Zou Zhijie just being the spark that lit the fuse.
"......" Lu Lingchuan glanced at her, but quickly looked away. "Nothing."
The matter was already resolved, so whether she knew about it or not didn't matter anymore.
Even if he told her, it would only give her one more reason to be angry.
Of course Shen Nian didn't believe it was nothing, but since Lu Lingchuan didn't want to tell her, she didn't ask further.
The two walked for another stretch before finally turning back, not having reached the end.
There weren't many cars on the road as they drove away.
Shen Nian gripped the seatbelt, admiring the scenery along the way - it was truly beautiful.
Lu Lingchuan had one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the door.
The car arrived at a famous snack street in Hai City. Neither of them had eaten yet.
After parking, they found a popular restaurant.
They sat down, and the server brought over the menus. Since the two couldn't eat much, they only ordered a few signature dishes.
The dishes were soon brought out - being a coastal city, seafood was obviously their specialty. The shrimp at this restaurant were as big as palms, looking absolutely delicious.
Lu Lingchuan took the disposable gloves provided and put them on before picking up a shrimp from the plate and methodically peeling it.
As expected, a handsome man made everything he did look like a scenic landscape - Lu Lingchuan looked especially pleasing to the eye as he focused on peeling the shrimp.
Shen Nian had always loved eating seafood, so Lu Lingchuan was skilled at preparing it. That huge shrimp was peeled clean in just three quick motions, and he habitually placed the meat in Shen Nian's bowl.
Seeing the shrimp appear in her bowl, Shen Nian looked up to see Lu Lingchuan grabbing another one to peel.
She pursed her lips but didn't say anything, silently lowering her head to continue eating, not wanting to interrupt the rare moment of warmth.
Soon, Lu Lingchuan had peeled the entire plate of shrimp and pushed it in front of her. He then prepared a few other kinds of seafood that she liked before finally taking off the disposable gloves, using a few paper napkins to wipe his hands clean, and eating his own meal.
This meal was rather warm and pleasant. After finishing, Lu Lingchuan looked at her, "Full?"
"Mmhm." Shen Nian nodded.
She hadn't wasted a single shrimp that Lu Lingchuan had peeled for her, eating every one, and now felt very stuffed.
"Mmhm." Lu Lingchuan echoed, then called out, "Check please."
The server immediately came over with the bill. "Sir, here is your bill. The total is $878. Will that be cash or..."
"Online payment." Lu Lingchuan was about to take out his phone when his face darkened.
His phone had been smashed when he kicked the door earlier.
